Chapter 100 |
"Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"Is it really a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"Damn it. This old man is short on spirit stones. If I had known, I would not have bought those earlier items."
The atmosphere in the auction hall instantly boiled over.
Many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators stared greedily at that wisp of blue light, as though gazing upon their own path to immortality.
"Five thousand!"
"Five thousand one hundred!"
"Six thousand!"
"Seven thousand!"
They quickly realized that when it came to wealth, they could never compete with the Foundation Establishment seniors in the private boxes.
"How hateful! My path to immortality!"
"Damn it. If only I could reach Foundation Establishment..."
Unintentionally, threads of resentment began to form in the shadows.
Yet the Foundation Establishment cultivators above remained calm and unruffled, steadily raising the bids.
Could the resentment of mere Qi Refining cultivators harm even a single hair on their bodies?
"Tsk tsk. So this is the allure of a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Inside one of the private boxes, Fang Qing watched the scene with a faint, amused curve to his lips.
He had refined dozens of these pills himself and consumed several without feeling they were particularly precious.
Yet out here in the world, they were treated like the very lifeblood of these rogue cultivators.
Under the frenzied bidding of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, the price of the pill soared past nine thousand spirit stones and hovered around ten thousand.
"Sigh... what a pity."
"My family's spirit stones have already been drained dry. I cannot bid any higher."
"I must keep some reserves. This item has no fate with this old man."
One Foundation Establishment cultivator after another sighed in regret.
"Alas... it is all because of that Hall Master Fang Qing!"
At that moment, Fang Qing heard his own name mentioned and could not help asking curiously, "That Fang Qing? A Blue Sea Sect cultivator? The former acting hall master of Pill Island?"
"Exactly. It is all because of him. Earlier, when the Blue Sea Sect opened its furnace to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, his success rate was clearly inferior to Elder Tianding's. As a result, the sect's supply of Foundation Establishment Pills became scarce, and naturally the rewards granted to our families were reduced."
"This old woman feels otherwise. Hall Master Fang Qing's alchemy skill stands out among second-rank alchemists. At that time Elder Tianding was gravely injured, so Hall Master Fang had no choice but to step in."
Another aged divine sense joined the conversation.
'Hmm. This old woman has good judgment.'
Fang Qing secretly praised her in his heart. It seemed there were still quite a few discerning people around.
"Hmph. In my opinion, the one most deserving of blame is the sect itself! The Blue Sea Sect monopolizes Foundation Establishment Pills, and so does the Sea-Destroying Alliance. We should do as before: let the Core Formation forces fight it out until both sides are crippled. Only then will more Foundation Establishment Pills and opportunities scatter across the land, allowing us to achieve our own paths. Haha!"
Another domineering divine sense rang out, clearly hoping for chaos in the world.
"That actually makes some sense..."
Fang Qing nodded slightly. He watched as the price of the Foundation Establishment Pill climbed to around nine thousand nine hundred spirit stones before finally stalling. It was ultimately claimed by the cultivator in the Heaven-character private box.
This genuine Foundation Establishment Pill had likely not come from within the sect.
In the outer seas, second-rank demon beasts still existed. With decent luck, one could obtain a second-rank demon core and commission a second-rank alchemist to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.
The problem was that these wild alchemists outside had truly poor skill. Producing even one genuine pill from a batch was cause for heavenly thanks.
As a proper sect alchemist, Fang Qing felt fully qualified to look down on such amateur methods.
After all, among rogue cultivators, merely refining one kind of second-rank pill was enough for someone to call themselves a second-rank alchemy grandmaster.
Handing a Foundation Establishment Pill to such alchemists was nothing short of gambling with one's life!
After the Foundation Establishment Pill was auctioned off, the auction officially concluded.
Fang Qing completed the spirit stone transaction, collected his purchased items, and exited the venue through one of the secret passages.
The auction hall had several such hidden exits, clearly designed to protect the privacy and safety of customers.
With more than half his liquid spirit stone reserves gone...
Since he had finally gone out, he might as well visit a few more marketplaces to fence his goods. Let Xu Hei work a little harder on that side too.
He patted his storage bag and was about to fly off on his sword when a sudden premonition stirred in his heart.
'Hmm?'
Fang Qing immediately circulated the Plum Blossom Divination Technique and obtained a hexagram image.
"Thousand gold scattered, yet it returns? As long as I slow my escape speed, a great auspicious sign appears?"
"The hexagram must be interpreted in light of actual circumstances. From this, it seems there are robbery cultivators lying in wait."
"My strength is formidable. Not only can I turn danger into safety, I can even counter-kill the robbers and reap rich rewards. This is great fortune."
"The key question is... how did those bandit cultivators target me? I have confirmed that no tracking method was planted on me, so... is there a problem with one of the items I purchased?"
His eyes narrowed slightly as a chill spread across his body.
For a traveler between two worlds like him, the thing he hated most was someone tampering with traded goods!
"Was it the jade slip recording the Xun Wind Shadowless Escape, or the Qionghua Branch? If it is the Qionghua Branch... now that would be interesting."
With this thought, Fang Qing took out a second-rank mid-grade spiritual boat that he had not used in a long time and flew slowly toward Verdant Jade Island.
Only the time it takes to burn one incense stick later, he spotted a group of people engaged in combat.
Or rather, a band of robbery cultivators pursuing and attacking an old man and his granddaughter.
The pair riding the yellow-wood boat were precisely the grandfather and granddaughter who had earlier purchased the Myriad Beasts Turtle Egg.
"Grandfather..."
The female cultivator was so frightened that her face lost all color. "Wuwuwu... cultivating immortality is too dangerous. I do not want to cultivate anymore..."
"This old man... this old man will fight you to the death!"
The mid-stage Qi Refining elder glared at the approaching robbery cultivators with eyes practically splitting from rage.
At that moment, a powerful wave of mana suddenly swept past.
Accompanying it came the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
"Not good!"
"There is a Foundation Establishment senior!"
“Robbing the robbers? Run!”
The bandit cultivators behind them felt their scalps go numb and immediately scattered in all directions.
The grandfather and granddaughter stood frozen on their yellow-wood boat. They watched as a white-jade flying boat shot past them in a flash.
Atop it stood a young man with sword-like brows and starry eyes. An aura of razor-sharp keenness seemed ready to overflow from his entire body.
"Immortal..."
The female cultivator stared at the figure that looked like a white-jade deity, momentarily entranced...
'My appearance... just happened to scare off the bandit cultivators and save their lives?'
Could it be that this pair of grandfather and granddaughter were momentary children of destiny?
Fang Qing piloted the white-jade boat onward without any intention of stopping to make acquaintances.
Children of destiny? Ancient Shu had plenty of them. And what became of them in the end?
Besides, he was quite busy. Next up... there should be a major battle waiting.
Whoosh!
Almost as soon as the white-jade flying boat passed by, the grandfather and granddaughter spotted a strange black great bird flying overhead. Its escape speed was actually faster than the boat, and two faint human figures could be seen on its back.
"Grandfather... what kind of demon bird is that?"
The granddaughter asked curiously. "Why do I not sense any demon qi from it?"
"That is not a mount bird. It is an avian puppet! At least second-rank inferior grade!"
The old man still had some knowledge. He quickly turned the boat in a different direction with his granddaughter. "From the looks of it, they are chasing after that benefactor from earlier. Sigh... I hope the benefactor can turn misfortune into fortune."
"Coming already?"
Sensing the mana fluctuations from behind, Fang Qing gave a slight smile and put away the white-jade flying boat.
Not long after, a pitch-black second-rank giant bird puppet flapped its wings and crossed the sea in pursuit!
On the bird's back stood two cultivators. One was merely early Foundation Establishment, while the other was late Foundation Establishment. The pale white hair and peculiar ancient features made Fang Qing feel a trace of familiarity. "You are... Lu Qianfan of the Sea-Destroying Alliance? The second-rank puppeteer who once ambushed Cui Zhe?"
"This person... I do not recognize..."
Zhou Mingjing sensed Fang Qing's mana fluctuations and felt a stir in his heart. 'Mid Foundation Establishment... that should be sufficient for the secret method Elder Lu mentioned earlier.'
"Damn it. Is this not one of the Blue Sea Sect thieves? Never mind... it is all the same!"
Lu Qianfan slapped his storage bag. Four more puppets emerged. Two were turtle-shaped with massive cannons extending from their backs, while the other two were wolf-shaped, swift as the wind and spewing black mist.
Together with the flying bird puppet, all five were second-rank grade!
"Sir..."
Fang Qing only glanced briefly at Lu Qianfan before shifting his gaze to Zhou Mingjing. "Could it be a Zhou Family Foundation Establishment cultivator? No wonder you could track me down. You tampered with the Qionghua Branch, did you not?"
Although he had never met the Zhou Family Ancestor, now that both sides had met face to face, deducing a portion of the truth was not difficult. "It seems the Zhou Family has secretly pledged allegiance to the Sea-Destroying Alliance. That previous transaction was a trap."
These words caused Zhou Mingjing's face to turn extremely ugly. He took out a silver mirror spiritual artifact and shouted, "Elder Lu, today this person must not be allowed to leave this place alive!"
"Haha, exactly as it should be."
Elder Lu's divine sense spread out like a net, controlling the many puppets to form a small battle array.
The two turtle-shaped puppets fired deep azure light beams from their cannons. Even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare take them head-on.
The wolf-shaped puppets roared and charged like the wind. Wind blades appeared on their claws as they closed in rapidly, preparing for close combat.
"This puppet technique is rather interesting... it seems to grow even more powerful when wielded by someone with strong divine sense."
Fang Qing commented with a smile, then abruptly drew his sword!
In the midst of a sky full of stars, a sword qi appeared dreamlike and illusory, like smoke and mist. The sound of thunder from the four seas suddenly erupted.
It was precisely the peerless sword art of Sword Motion Like Thunder!
The sword qi condensed from Wolfbreaker circled lightly around the two wolf-shaped puppets and instantly severed both their heads.
"Sword cultivator?"
"No... this level of power far surpasses even Cui Zhe of the Blue Sea Sect!"
Lu Qianfan was startled. "Just who are you?"
"A dead man has no need to know too much."
Fang Qing merged man and sword as one. With [Lou Metal] mana circulating and the Sharp Edge Chapter Dao Foundation enhancing him, the edge of his natal flying sword reached an even higher level.
A flash of sword light dodged the turtle cannons and arrived before Zhou Mingjing in an instant.
"Such swift sword escape technique!"
Zhou Mingjing was so frightened that he hurriedly slapped a second-rank mid-grade Gold Essence Body Protection Talisman onto himself. Both hands frantically poured mana into the silver mirror spiritual artifact.
This silver mirror was his family's ancestral treasure, specialized in restraining magical artifacts and spiritual artifacts. As long as he could lock down this sword cultivator's sword, everything would be fine.
Damn it. This person's sword escape was so extremely fast—why did he still bother using a flying boat earlier? Was it deliberate?
A chill ran through Zhou Mingjing's heart. He formed a hand seal, and a burst of profound light shot out from the silver mirror, fixing the flying smoke sword artifact that Fang Qing had raised his hand to release.
Under the profound light, the smoke-and-mist-like sword artifact suddenly dispersed. It turned out to be nothing more than a strand of mana.
"Where is the flying sword?"
Zhou Mingjing froze for a moment. Then he saw a streak of sword light before his eyes.
One sword blazed gloriously, slashing straight down. The incomparably sharp sword light tore through the second-rank mid-grade talisman and the two layers of Zhou Mingjing's own mana defenses, cleaving him evenly from head to toe into two halves.
"This... sir is absolutely not mid Foundation Establishment."
Elder Lu watched as Fang Qing casually dispatched Zhou Mingjing in a single exchange. A cold sweat broke out across his scalp. He shouted, "You are a late Foundation Establishment great sword cultivator?"
"Late Foundation Establishment... great sword cultivator?"
Fang Qing almost laughed but forcibly held it back. "If you think so, then so be it. Now please go to your death, sir!"